


Tulips

by AdenineTopaz



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Android GLaDOS, F/F, Flowers, Gay, Lesbian, Secret Crush, Secret love, Tulips, garden, slightly OOC, talking chell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 21:57:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12374940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdenineTopaz/pseuds/AdenineTopaz
Summary: Chell creates a garden and wants to show GLaDOS.





	Tulips

     "Chell, I really don't see how we could benefit from growing a garden in Aperture."  
     GLaDOS's auto-tuned voice rang out with slight hatred as she followed Chell. They were walking down one of the facility's lesser-known hallways, leading them to a small, dome-shaped chamber known as the sunroom. It had transparent walls and an open ceiling to let as much light in as possible. When Chell first saw it, abandoned and lonesome, her first instinct was to create a garden. And now she was about to show Aperture's boss just how great her creation really was.  
     "Growing a garden has lots of benefits." she stated. "For example, flowers."  
     GLaDOS couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Flowers. Okay."  
     "Come on, we're almost there. You'll love it, I promise." Chell said with giddiness in her voice.  
     They came to an automatic door which turned and unlocked, and then slowly opened to reveal the sunroom. Both women stepped inside, stopping to stare at what was before them. In the center of the room was a small garden, dotted with tiny green shoots and leaves. Leaning against the walls were packs of fertilizer and seeds, along with a bunch of dirty gardening tools. And a hat. Always needs to be a hat.  
     The human grinned happily. "It's not much, but in time the flowers will grow." she explained.  
     GLaDOS scanned her surroundings. "It looks...messy." she commented.  
     "Well, yeah, it's a garden."  
     "Mm." The android walked forward and knelt down before the little square plots, studying the shoots more closely. Some were bigger than others, even growing tiny leaves. The smallest one was colored white and just peeking out from the dirt. It reminded her of a baby bird opening its mouth for the first time.  
      _No. Don't like birds._  
     "When did you first begin progress on this?" she questioned, eyeing the biggest shoot.  
     "About three or four days ago? Why?" answered Chell, tilting her head.  
     "Just wondering. This shoot here looks much more mature than the others." GLaDOS touched the tip with one finger.  
     "Some individual plants grow quicker than others." said Chell.  
     "I know. But this one is just...way too big for two or three days."  
     Chell huffed. "What do you know about gardening?"  
     "Botany is a science. I know everything about every science." GLaDOS couldn't help but smile to herself upon saying that. She loved reassuring herself that she was the smartest AI in recorded history, or at least one of them.  
      _Probably some out there that are smarter. But when it comes to science..._  
     She grinned bigger.  
     "You're smiling." said Chell with a slight giggle at the end.  
     The android narrowed her eyes. "If you think I'm smiling because of the garden, you're wrong." she hissed quickly.  
      _Though it is kind of cute. Especially for...her._  
     Her lips tugged into a tiny grin again as she continued staring at each little plant.  
     The human sat down beside her. "Do you know what kind of flowers they are?" she asked.  
     GLaDOS paused. "...tulips." she responded.  
     "Figured you would know. Tulips are my favorite flower."  
     "Why?"  
     "They remind me of kindness and love."  
     "Roses represent love, not tulips."  
     "Doesn't matter to me. If I say tulips represent love to me, then they do."  
     GLaDOS was quiet. "That's a surprisingly smart way of thinking."  
     Chell smiled and looked away. "That's the first compliment you've given me since...uh..."  
     "Ever?"  
     "Yeah."  
     "I don't compliment people often."  
     The human's grin grew to a full, wide smile. "So I must be pretty special to you, then?"  
     GLaDOS' eyes widened as red exploded on her face. She whipped her head around to face Chell, venom in her gaze.  
     "Shut up. You're just...another assistant." she snarled. She stood up and quickly walked out of the chamber, shoulders tense.  
     Chell chuckled. "Sure I am."

     Over the next week or so Chell had a couple androids tend to the garden while she worked. In her free time she cared for the garden herself, making sure everything was going okay.  
     Today, however, she had no free time. Her schedule was filled with lab reports and experiments to do, and the androids who normally cared for the little garden were busy as all hell, too. So she asked GLaDOS if she could check up on the garden real quick. The android was still not sure why she blurted out a yes almost instantly, but she did, and now she was walking towards the sunroom's automatic door grumbling to herself. It wasn't like she wasn't busy either. But she guessed she had a few minutes.  
     When the door opened and she stepped in, she stopped in shock. Standing tall before her were about twenty tulips, fully bloomed and reaching to the sky. They were red, yellow, and pink.  
     GLaDOS couldn't help but smile. "How...colorful." she whispered.  
     She looked towards the back of the garden and saw one tulip that was different. Her brow furrowed as she knelt down before it. It had been the biggest shoot she had pointed out last week, taller than the other flowers. And it was stark white. A beautiful, beautiful flower.  
     "You're...different." The android's eyes glowed with newfound curiosity as she studied it.  
     "You'll be perfect." With two fingers supporting the delicate stem, she carefully pulled the plant from the soil, snapping it at its base.  
     Standing up, she turned it over in her hands, still grinning. "Oh, how beautiful."

     Chell let out a breath as she sat down in her office chair, leaning back and wiping sweat from her brow. Finally, her work was done for today. It technically wasn't due until some few days later, but she didn't want to deal with it and so she pushed herself to get it all wrapped up by the end of the day.  
     She rested for a few minutes before leaning forward, putting her hand on her computer mouse and moving it around to wake her computer up. Then she noticed something. Next to her computer was a vase with water and just one flower in it. She looked at it and saw a tall, white tulip.  
     "Huh? Who put this here?"  
      _The garden must have bloomed! But the androids said it wasn't in bloom yet..._  
     Unless...  
     "...GLaDOS?"

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to my friend for giving me the tulips idea


End file.
